Let’s face the facts, Americans overeat sugar!! “Most people are sugar overeaters but don’t know it,” says PHD Nicole Avena. That’s because some “healthy” foods are loaded with hidden added sugar. She goes on to say, “The problem is, research suggests that your brain still gets psyched by sweets. Binging on them on the modern form of “added sugar” can cause a surge of “dopamine,” the feel-good neurotransmitter in your brain’s reward center!”
As per the September 2024 edition of Women’s Health Magazine, the FDA (Federal Drug Association) has “proposed” nutrition label changes requiring manufacturers to list natural and added sugars separately. For Women, the “recommended daily limit” for “added sugar” is 6 teaspoons or 24 grams per day and for Men, it is 9 teaspoons 36 grams or 150 calories of added sugar per day.
To give you an idea of some of the “excessive sugar culprits,” keep in mind the average 12 ounce can of soda contains 42 grams of added sugar, which is almost double what a woman should consume in a whole day! This has also been a big issue with sugary “baby formula!”
Some sneaky sugar sources include:
Barbecue sauce: 3.75 teaspoons (15 grams) in 2 tablespoons
Ketchup: 2.25 teaspoons (9 grams) in 2 tablespoons
Fruit-flavored yogurt: 7.75 teaspoons (31 grams) in 6 ounces
Pasta sauce: 3 teaspoons (12 grams) in 1/2 cup
Breakfast bar: 6.25 teaspoons (25 grams) in 1 bar
Our addiction to sweets and liberal labeling policies have caused sugar-related illnesses like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and dementia to skyrocket! “Sugar can act like poison in high doses and the amount in our diets has gone beyond toxic,” says Robert Lustig, M.D., a neuroendocrinologist at the University of California at San Franciso Scholl of Medicine! The typical American now swallows the equivalent of 22 sugar cubes every 24 hours! That means the average woman eats 70 pounds (nearly half the average body weight) of straight sugar every year!
High Fructose Corn Syrup might be the scariest sweet! Much of it contains Mercury, a by-product of chemical processing! Another danger is its high artificial fructose content, not to mention that it can be 75 times sweeter than white sugar.
There are over 50 sneaky disguises/synonyms for sugar to be on the lookout for when reading labels as good health starts at the supermarket:
Agave Nectar, Barbados Sugar, Barley Malt Syrup, Beet Sugar, Blackstrap Molasses, Cane Crystals, Cane Juice Crystals, Castor Sugar, Corn Sweetener, Corn Syrup, Corn Syrup Solids, Crystalline Fructose, Date Sugar, Demerara Sugar, Dextrose, Evaporated Cane Juice, Florida Crystals, Fructose, Fruit Juice, Fruit Juice Concentrate, Galactose, Glucose, Glucose Solids, Golden Sugar, Golden Syrup, Granulated Sugar, Grape Juice Concentrate, Grape Sugar, High-Fructose Corn Syrup, Honey, Icing Sugar, Invert Sugar, Lactose, Malt Syrup, Maltodextrin, Maltose, Mannitol, Maple Syrup, Molasses, Muscovado Syrup, Organic Raw Sugar, Powdered Sugar, Raw Sugar, Refiners’ Syrup, Rice Syrup, Sorbitol, Sorghum Syrup, Sucrose, Table Sugar, Treacle, Turbinado Sugar and Yellow Sugar!
The “sugar epidemic” has led to an unhealthy pool of Americans with the USA spending over $10,000 per person per year in health care costs, which is almost double number two in Germany. Health insurance monthly premiums have increased faster than inflation because of our unhealthy eating habits! In addition, the excess body weight that Americans are carrying has led to decreased mobility and increasing disability and long-term care insurance premiums nationwide!
I have set foot on all 7 continents since 2009 and can tell you that it is rare to see obese persons in most of these countries. There are several reasons for this, such as portion size, food prices/affordability and different levels of food rules and regulations.
Did you know:
In conclusion, many sugary and unhealthy American foods are banned in other countries worldwide for a variety of reasons. It could be health risks, environmental concerns, or more stringent standards for what is considered acceptable food products. Regardless of the reasons, these bans highlight how important it is to be aware of what you are putting into your body.
The next time you are at the grocery store, consider checking the labels before taking those sugary treats home!